Taylor v. Spurway

16 F. Supp. 566, 1936 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1824
CourtDistrict Court, S.D. Florida
DecidedSeptember 4, 1936
DocketNo. 1204
StatusPublished
Cited by2 cases

This text of 16 F. Supp. 566 (Taylor v. Spurway) is published on Counsel Stack Legal Research, covering District Court, S.D. Florida primary law. Counsel Stack provides free access to over 12 million legal documents including statutes, case law, regulations, and constitutions.

Bluebook
Taylor v. Spurway, 16 F. Supp. 566, 1936 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1824 (S.D. Fla. 1936).

Opinion

STRUM, District Judge.

Plaintiff, Henry H. Taylor, was appointed receiver of City Trust Company by a Florida state court on May 8, 1931. As such receiver, by authority of that court, he sues C. H. Bancroft, who succeeded H. J. Spurway as receiver of City National Bank in Miami, and others, to recover $200,000 which plaintiff alleges was fraudulently transferred from capital, surplus and undivided profits of Gity Trust Company to the stockholders of said City Trust Company by means of a pretended sale of the capital stock of said trust company to the Administrator Company, a dummy corporation, which used as the purchase price of said stock the same $200,000 in cash theretofore extracted from the capital assets of City Trust Company, which money plaintiff charges should be restored to City Trust Company for the benefit of its creditors. The cause is now on final hearing.

City Trust Company, a Florida corporation, was organized early in 1927 for the purpose of taking over the trust business of City National Bank & Trust Company. On.March 3, 1927, City National Bank & Trust Company conveyed all its trust assets to the newly organized City Trust Company, and the latter assumed the trust liabilities of the former. City National Bank & Trust Company then merged with and changed its name to City National Bank in Miami.

The trust business carried on by City Trust Company prospered and it was in sound condition up to the time of the transactions of which plaintiff complains.

City National Bank in Miami closed, and Spurway was appointed receiver, December 20, 1930.

The authorized capital stock of City Trust Company was 1,000 shares, par value of $100 each, for which the original stockholders paid $150 per share, thus affording a.capital of $100,000 and a surplus of $50,000 at organization. Immediately prior to the transactions here in question, the stock of City Trust Company was owned, as follows: 880 shares by'City National Bank in Miami, of which Spurway was receiver; 120 shares by 12 individuals, including Morgan S. McCormick, who owned 10 shares each.

City National Bank & Trust Company paid for its shares in cash or its equivalent. Of the 12 individual stockholders, some paid for their stock in cash from their individual funds; others, amongst whom are the defendants McCormick, Gordon, Oliver, and Roberts, paid by borrowing $1,500 each from City National Bank & Trust Company, for which they each gave their notes, secured by their 10 shares of stock in City Trust Company. Due to interlocking directorates and the above-mentioned stock ownerships, City National Bank in Miami completely dominated City Trust Company.

Guardian Trust Company was organized about August, 1930. It had a total authorized capital of 1,000 shares, par value of $100 per share, which was sold for $150 a share, giving it a capital of $100,000 and $50,000 surplus. This corporation had only two actual stockholders. The J. C. PennyGwynne Corporation purchased one-third of the stock, paying $50,000 therefor. The other two-thirds of the stock of Guardian Trust Company was ostensibly purchased by certain directors of City Trust Company, including McCormick, who executed their promissory notes payable to City Trust Company, six for $15,000, and one for $10,-000, aggregating $100,000, secured by capital stock of Guardian Trust Company, on which notes City Trust Company advanced to Guardian Trust Company said 'aggregate sum of $100,000. This two-thirds of the capital stock of Guardian Trust Company was in fact paid for and owned by City Trust Company, in whose name it was carried on the books of Guardian Trust Company. City National Bank in Miami, and thereafter its receiver, Spurway, dominated City Trust Company by the former’s ownership of 880 shares of capital stock of the latter, and the interlocking directorates; and City Trust Company in turn dominated and controlled Guardian Trust Company by reason of City Trust Company’s ownership of two-thirds of the capital stock of Guardian Trust Company, and interlocking directorates of the three corporations. So Spurway, as receiver of City National Bank, really dominated, and controlled both City Trust Company and Guardian Trust Company.

For a year or more prior to December 12, 1930, Morgan S. McCormick had been president of City Trust Company, and was also a director in or otherwise connected with City National Bank and Guardian Trust Company. On the last-named date [568]*568he resigned as president of City Trust Company. He was intimately familiar with the affairs of City Trust Company, Guardian Trust Company, and City National Bank in Miami.

McCormick and associates wished to acquire Guardian Trust Company, but Spurway refused to dispose of Guardian unless he could also dispose of City Trust Company at the same time. McCormick set out to meet these requirements in the following manner.

On January 5, 1931, McCormick, on behalf of himself and certain “friendly interests,” submitted an offer to Spurway as receiver of City National Bank, to purchase the 880 shares of City Trust Company then owned by City National Bank, at $200 per share. The annual stockholders’ meeting of City Trust Company, due to be held on January 8, 1931, was adjourned by Spurway as majority stockholder from time to time, so that he could secure the Comptroller’s approval of the sale to McCormick. Approval having been secured, the adjourned annual stockholders’ meeting of City Trust Company was finally held in the Directors’ Room of City National Bank at 10 a. m., January 20, 1931.

Meanwhile, H. B. Oliver, who was then a stockholder and director of City Trust Company and a former employee of Spur-way in City National Bank, at the request of either Spurway or McCormick, or both, had advised the other individual stockholders of City Trust Company that their stock could be sold for $200 per share in conjunction with the sale of Spurway’s stock, to which all the individual stockholders assented, and all of them, including McCormick, indorsed their shares either in blank, or direct to Spurway, and delivered same to Oliver to sell. Oliver delivered these 120 shares, including his own 10 shares and McCormick’s 10, to McCormick on January 21, 1931, receiving therefor from McCormick Guardian Trust Company’s check for $24,000, payable to H. B. Oliver, as agent, which will be again mentioned later.

Administrator Company was a corporation organized January 10, 1931 by McCormick, to be used as a conduit through which to handle the projected purchase of the stock of City Trust Company. It was purely a dummy corporation. It had no assets, no cash, and no paid in capital.

At the adjourned annual stockholders’ meeting of City Trust Company held in the Directors’ Room of City National Bank at 10 a. m.; January 20, 1931, Spurway was present, holding and voting the 880 shares owned by City National Bank. Spurway’s attorney was present, also McCormick and some of his associates. The minutes of the meeting recite that Gordon and Oliver, two original stockholders of City Trust Company were present, but Gordon and Oliver deny that they were present.

Spurway voted his 880 shares (and 10 shares as proxy for F. M. Hudson, who was not present) to elect a new board of directors of City Trust Company, composed of persons designated by McCormick.

On January 20, 1931, at 10:15 a. m. the new directors-of City Trust Company, consisting of McCormick’s nominees, convened and transferred to Guardian Trust Company $239,780.64 of City Trust Company’s trust assets.

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Bluebook (online)
16 F. Supp. 566, 1936 U.S. Dist. LEXIS 1824, Counsel Stack Legal Research, https://law.counselstack.com/opinion/taylor-v-spurway-flsd-1936.